In response to RFA-CA-09-032, the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART) proposes to create the National Center for Reducing Asian American Cancer Health Disparities entitled AANCART: The National Center. This Center, led by academic and community Principal investigators, will use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to achieve its Specific Aims: 1) Build a National Center to conduct outreach, research, and training based on the network of community-academic partnerships created by AANCART in the preceding 9 years as an NCI-funded Community Network Program, which has generated many significant accomplishments and established trust in the community;2) Outreach to communities to reduce cancer disparities and related co-morbid conditions among Asian Americans;3) Conduct, foster, and disseminate evidence-based intervention Research to reduce the unnecessary cancer burden confronting Asian Americans;4) Train and nurture new and early stage CBPR investigators to submit peer-reviewed proposals and obtain funding to conduct research to reduce health disparities. This U54 application shows: 1) How the Center is administratively organized;2) How the Outreach Program will be implemented among 4 Asian American populations in California and Hawaii by creating and increasing access to culturally appropriate, linguistically-specific, and evidence-based materials designed to increase knowledge about cancer and the use of beneficial preventive procedures;3) How a 5-year Full Research Project will develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate the results of a cluster randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of lay health educators to promote colorectal cancer screening among 4 Asian American groups (Filipinos, Hmong, Korean, and Vietnamese) in 4 regions (Honolulu, Los Angeles, Sacramento, &San Francisco) and how a 2-year Pilot Research Project will assess cognitive &cultural perspectives among Chinese Americans regarding biospecimen collection;and 4) How a Training Program will develop new and early stage investigators by combining individualized mentoring plans, scheduled seminars, and a curriculum linked to the NIH Clinical &Translational Science Awards.

Public Health Relevance

This application focuses on reducing the unique, unusual, and unnecessary cancer disparities that confront Asian Americans through well-conceived plans in outreach, research, and training. Asian Americans have experienced a higher population growth rate than others, in percentage terms, and are predicted to experience a triple digit increase in invasive cancers by 2030.